The Ballpark Podcast

Contributor(s): Sherri Goodman, Professor Laura Pulido, Jeremy Williams, Professor Kathy Hochstetler, Beth Gardiner, Professor Rebecca Bromley-Trujillo | Climate change is one of the most important global issues. But what is the United States’ responsibility for climate change, and for its effects on the rest of the world? In Climate Change: America and the World, a new podcast from the London School of Economics’ Phelan US Centre, we look for answers to these questions and more by talking to leading experts working on climate change. Climate Change: America and the World is a six-part podcast series released from May 2023, and is produced by Mohid Malik, Chris Gilson, and Anderson Tan. This trailer features Sherri Goodman, Global Fellow, Polar Institute and Environmental Change & Security Program, Wilson Centre; Professor Laura Pulido, Centennial Professor to the LSE Department of Geography and Environment and the LSE Phelan United States Centre, and the University of Oregon; Jeremy Williams, The Earthbound

Contributor(s): Mohid Rehman Malik, Chris Gilson, Joshua Kurlantzick | In February 2023, the Phelan US Centre’s Mohid Malik spoke to Joshua Kurlantzick, senior fellow for Southeast Asia at the Council on Foreign Relations about his new book, Beijing's Global Media Offensive: China's Uneven Campaign To Influence Asia and the World. They also discussed the effectiveness of China’s efforts to expand its global media influence, from its pitfalls to successes. This Extra Inning was produced by Chris Gilson, Mohid Malik, and Anderson Tan.

Contributor(s): Professor Susan Shirk, Chris Gilson, Mohid Rehman Malik | In January 2023, the Phelan US Centre’s Chris Gilson and Mohid Malik spoke to Professor Susan Shirk, Research Professor and Chair of the 21st Century China Center at UC San Diego about her new book, Overreach: How China Derailed its Peaceful Rise. They also discussed how China’s leadership in recent decades has influenced the country’s relationship with the United States, and the steps that both could take to improve that relationship. This Extra Inning was produced by Chris Gilson, Mohid Malik, and Anderson Tan.

Contributor(s): Mohid Rehman Malik, Chris Gilson | In December 2022, the Phelan US Centre’s Chris Gilson and Mohid Malik spoke to Dr Tasseli McKay, National Science Foundation postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Sociology at Duke University, about her new book, Stolen Wealth, Hidden Power The Case for Reparations for Mass Incarceration. Their discussion covered mass incarceration in the US, the case for reparations, and principles of transitional justice. This Extra Inning was produced by Chris Gilson, Mohid Malik, and Anderson Tan.

Contributor(s): Professor Glenn Loury, Mohid Rehman Malik | In May 2022, The Phelan US Centre’s Mohid Malik spoke to Professor Glenn Loury, Merton P. Stoltz Professor of the Social Sciences and Professor of Economics at Brown University, on the role of identity politics in the United States. In their discussion, they situated Black American experience within the context of identity politics, and how this has done little to correct existing racial inequalities in the United States. This Extra Inning was produced by Chris Gilson, Mohid Malik, and Anderson Tan.

Contributor(s): | In November 2022, The Phelan US Centre’s Chris Gilson and Mohid Malik spoke to Professor Jessica Chen Weiss, professor of government at Cornell University, about China and the future of the international order. They also discussed President Biden’s approach to China, and the future of US-China relations. This Extra Inning was produced by Chris Gilson, Mohid Malik, and Anderson Tan.

Contributor(s): Professor Taylor Fravel | In November 2022, The Phelan US Centre’s Chris Gilson and Mohid Malik spoke to Professor Taylor Fravel of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology about China’s Belt and Road Initiative. They discussed the history and recent developments of the Belt and Road Initiative, the political implications of this project, and the US’ responses to it. This Extra Inning was produced by Chris Gilson, Mohid Malik, and Anderson Tan. Take me out to the Ball game’ by Ranger and the “Re-Arrangers” used with permission.

Contributor(s): Professor Rana Mitter | On 27 September 2022, The Phelan US Centre’s Chris Gilson and Mohid Malik spoke to Professor Rana Mitter of the University of Oxford about China’s changing national narrative. They also discussed nationalism in China and the ways China has engaged in revisionist history with regards to its conception of the current international order. This Extra Inning was produced by Anderson Tan. Take me out to the Ball game’ by Ranger and the “Re-Arrangers” used with permission.

Contributor(s): Marie Yovanovitch | On 25 January 2023, the Phelan US Centre’s Chris Gilson spoke with Marie Yovanovitch, who was the United States’ Ambassador to Ukraine from 2016 to 2019. She has also held posts as US Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan and Armenia, and from 2001 to 2004 she was Deputy Chief of Mission of the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine. She is the author of the new book, Lessons from the Edge: A Memoir. They discussed US-Ukraine relations, the role of diplomacy in resolving the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and European security.  This Extra Inning was produced by Anderson Tan. ‘Take me out to the Ball game’ by Ranger and the “Re-Arrangers” used with permission. 

Contributor(s): Dr James Morrison | In June 2022, the Phelan US Centre’s Chris Gilson spoke to Centre Affiliate Professor James Morrison about his new book, England's Cross of Gold Keynes, Churchill, and the Governance of Economic Beliefs (Cornell University Press, 2021). They also discussed the history of the gold standard in the UK, and what research on economic and monetary history can tell us about the current moment. This Extra Inning was produced by Anderson Tan. Take me out to the Ball game’ by Ranger and the “Re-Arrangers” used with permission.

Contributor(s): Professor Mary Kaldor | On 9 June 2022, The Phelan US Centre’s Chris Gilson and Mohid Malik spoke to Professor Mary Kaldor of the LSE about ways to reimagine a future European security framework. They also discussed the importance of empowering the local civil society groups in Russia and Ukraine that oppose Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. This Extra Inning was produced by Chris Gilson, Mohid Malik, and Emmanuel Olugbenga.

Contributor(s): Karen Torres, Joss Harrison | They also discuss her co-authored article with Dr Collins in the Journal of Illicit Economies and Development, which focuses on Colombia’s place in the global drug wars. This Extra Inning was produced by Anderson Tan, Elina Ganatra and Joss Harrison.

Contributor(s): James Morrison | Professor Morrison, who has worked with an UGRA each year since the programme’s inception in 2017, discussed the contribution that these undergraduate students have made to his research over the years. He also spoke about the mutual benefits that academics and students enjoy from these collaborations. This Extra Inning was produced by Anderson Tan.

Contributor(s): Professor Ayse Zarakol, Chris Gilson, Mohid Rehman Malik | They also discuss what the rise of non-Western powers that have not fully adhered to Liberal Internationalism suggests about the future of this American-led system. This Extra Inning was produced by Chris Gilson, Mohid Malik, and Emmanuel Olugbenga.

Contributor(s): Professor Charles Kupchan, Chris Gilson, Mohid Rehman Malik | They also discussed the foreign policy objectives of the United States and how the United States should deal with security issues in Europe. This Extra Inning was produced by Chris Gilson, Mohid Malik, and Emmanuel Olugbenga. 

Contributor(s): | On 15 June 2022, The Phelan US Centre’s Chris Gilson and Mohid Malik spoke to Dr Fiona Hill of the Brookings Institute in Washington D.C. about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and the ramifications for the future of NATO and the European security framework. They also discuss future possibilities of engaging with Russia and the role that non-European states may play in this process. This Extra Inning was produced by Chris Gilson, Mohid Malik, and Emmanuel Olugbenga.

Contributor(s): David Little, Marisa Lago | We explore how the City and the rest of the state interact, as well as how they differ on some key issues, and in one important area, education, that rift is a big one. Guest Contributors: David Little (Rural Schools Association of New York State and Rural Schools Program at Cornell University) and Marisa Lago (New York City Department of City Planning and City Planning Commission). Producers: Chris Gilson, Elina Ganatra and Michaela Herrmann (LSE Phelan United States Centre).

Contributor(s): Professor Renee Van Vechten, Professor Leah Stokes | Guest Contributors: Professor Renee Van Vechten (University of Redlands) and Professor Leah Stokes (University of California, Santa Barbara) Producers: Chris Gilson, Elina Ganatra and Michaela Herrmann (LSE Phelan United States Centre)

Contributor(s): Professor Michael Cox | On July 21st, 2021, The Phelan US Centre’s Chris Gilson spoke to Professor Michael Cox of LSE IDEAS about his new article in the journal, International Politics, “What do Think Tanks do? Chatham House in search of the United States” and how think tanks affect policymaking in the UK and the US. They also discuss his upcoming book of essays Agonies of Empire, which outlines the ways in which five very different American Presidents have addressed the complex legacies left them by their predecessors while dealing with the longer-term problems of running a modern-day empire under increasing stress. This Extra Inning was produced Chris Gilson, Michaela Herrmann, and Elina Ganatra. Professor Michael Cox is the Founding Director of LSE IDEAS. He was appointed to a Chair at the LSE in 2002, having previously held positions in the UK at The Queen's University of Belfast and the Department of International Politics, Aberystwyth. He helped establish the Cold War Studies Centre at t

Contributor(s): Professor Robert Lieberman, Professor Suzanne Mettler | On 15 February 2021, The US Centre’s Chris Gilson spoke to Professor Robert Lieberman and Professor Suzanne Mettler about their recent book, ‘Four Threats: The Recurring Crises of American Democracy’. In this podcast, they discuss some of the unique features of American democracy and how its four pillars may be under threat, and what needs to be done to secure democracy in the US.   Robert Lieberman is Krieger-Eisenhower Professor of Political Science at Johns Hopkins University. He studies American political development, race and American politics, and public policy. He has also written extensively about the development of American democracy and the links between American and comparative politics. His most recent book is Four Threats: The Recurring Crises of American Democracy (St. Martin’s Press, 2020), co-authored with Suzanne Mettler. In 2021, he will be the John G. Winant Visiting Professor of Government at the University of Oxford.